Ledger-sheet



J. A. B. SMITH.

LEDGER SHEET.

APPLICATION FILED MAY3I, 1919.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

MONDAY g (HECK5 Ulr'ulil uunun UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE A, SMITH, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD TYPE WRITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF, DELAWARE.

LEDGER-SEEET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 31, 1919. Serial No. 301,034.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jnssn A. B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ledger- Sheets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to bookkeeping devices, and is herein illustrated as comprising an Underwood standard typewriter carriage, which may form part of an Underwood standard bookkeeping machine.

In using such bookkeeping and other printing computing machines, when it is desired to record both items and balances, it frequently becomes necessary to write what is called a pick-up balance in order to be able to compute a new balance by adding the item to the old balance. In somekinds of bookkeeping, such as bank-bookkeeping, the work-sheet is very wide even if it contains no pick-up balance column, with the result that it becomes unmanageable in a typewriter carriage, if additional columns are provided for the pick-up balance in addition to the column already needed upon the sheet.

According to the present invention, it is unnecessary to provide such columns upon the sheet itself. To render such columns unnecessary upon the sheet, there may .be provided a strip which is held in position in the typewriter carriage, and which, upon the insertion of the work-sheet, overlies some column which it is not desired to use at the moment, thus permitting any pick-up balance to be written upon said strip. Inasmuch as the work-sheet herein illustrated is a Boston ledger sheet' containing on one face a separate column for each day of the week, the strip may be in the form of what is commonly called a tally strip, and may be drawn from a tall strip roll or holder which is adapted to be located at various positions along the carriage depending on the day column in use. To facilitate the easy and accurate locating of the tally strip roll, the reel or holder from whichit is drawn may be mounted upon a part which extends the length of the typewriter carriage and which is adapted to retain the reel at any column to which it has been positioned.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

F1gure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of an Underwood typewriter carriage and work-sheet comprising the present inventlon.

2 is a sectional side view of the same.

F 1g. 3 is a fragmentary view of a worksheet and a strip thereupon as used for makin two entries.

1g. 4 is a sectional front view of the tall -strip reel and its mounting. 1g. 5 is a detail, partly in section, showng the mounting of the rod which enables 1t to be withdrawn to insert a new reel.

The work-sheet 10 is inserted around the platen 11 by passing it between the platen and the reel 12,=so that it comes between the platen and the strip 13, and is guided by the usual rear paper table 14 to the rear feed rolls 15, and thence to the front feed rolls 16 which carry the work-sheet around to the front of the platen so that it swings up to the printing line at the usual wing scale 17. The work-sheet 10 is shown as a Boston ledger-sheet including the name column 18 and line-number column 19 and a series of day columns 20, one for each day of the week. Each day column 20 comprises a checks column 21, a deposits column 22, and a daily balance column 23, the latter column serving to show at the last ent beside any name the current working ba ance of that account.

If the depositor Doe at line 1 (Fig. 3) has a working balance of $250.75, and a check or checks amounting to $75.00 comes to the typists desk to be charged against said balance, the typist, preliminary to making the entry, sets the typewriter carriage so that the typewriter t pes 24 will print through the usual ribbon hot shown) upon the strip 13, which overlies the checks column 21 of Tuesday, and copies upon said strip the amount $250.75 shown as the first item upon said strip in Fig. 3. This copying, in the usual manner, adds that item in the usual computation register of the Underwood bookkeeping machine, one form of which is shown in the patent to Hoyt 1,280,228. Then the typist brings the typewriter carriage so that the types 24 will write in the checks column 21 of Monday, and writes therein the item $75.00, subtracting it at the same time from the computing register, and usually simultaneously adding it into the usual checks register of the machine. Then the typist sets the typewritercarriage so that the types 24 will write in the Monday daily balance column 23, and copies therein the amount $175.7 5, now shown in the comput ng register, subtracting it fromthat register and thereby bringing that register to zero. Then the typist prints the usual star 25 to prove the accuracy of the copgmg.

If the deposits item 125.50 comes to the typists desk at the same time as the checks item, preliminary to entering the deposit, the typist copies the new da ly balance $175.75 upon the strip 13 from the da ly balance column 23, and adds it into the computing register. Then the typlst sets the typewriter carriage so that the types 24 Wlll write in the deposits column 22, and writes therein the item $125.50, adding it in the computing register, and also adding it 1n the usual deposits register of said machine. Then the typist sets the typewriter carriage so that the types will print in the daily balance column 23, and writes therein the balance now shown in the computing register, viz., $301.25, subtracting it from that register, and then printing the usual star to prove the accuracy of the copying. If this is the last item to be entered at thls time upon said work-sheet 10, it may be removed from the machine either by advancing the platen or by casting off the feed rolls by the I usual handle 26, which is connected by the usual link 28 to the usual feed-roll release shaft 29. I

If the work-sheet is removed as by casting off the feed rolls and withdrawing it, the typist may detach the written-on portion of the strip 13 and discard 1t. Upon the lnsertion of a new work-sheet, the advance of the work-sheet to the printing line carries around with it the strip 13, thus bringing a fresh portion of the strip to the printin line to serve for receiving the new pick-up balances.

To insure-suflicient supply of the strip 13,

it is preferably furnished in the form of a roll 30, which is adapted to be mounted on the reel or spool 12, said reel be1n g journaled .upon the shaft 32, which 1s mounted upon brackets 33 fast to the cover plates 34 of the typewriter carriage. The reel 12 may comprise side plates 35 and 36, which are adapted to turn with the hub 37, the latter journaled upon the rod or shaft 32.

In order to accurately and rapidly position the hub 37 axially of the shaft 32, there is provided in the extension 38 of the hub a spring detent 39, whlch is adapted toseat itself in a channel 40 extending circumferentially of the rod 32, thereby permitting the reel 12 to turn with some friction while preserving its alinement relatively to the. inserted work-sheet. In order that the work-sheet 10 may be accurately adjusted longitudinally of the platen, there is provided one or more side gages .41.

To prevent the detent39 from slipping out of place when clear of the rod 32, it may include a collar 42, adapted to strike a ledge 43 in the hub, so that the detent can not spring too far outward; and to permit against a small abutment 46. The hub 37 may hold the plate 36 firmly.

To remove the reel 12 from the rod 32, or to permit a new strip supply spool 30 to be inserted, the rod 32 may be held in place in one bracket 33" by means of a thumb-screw 48, which is threaded in the post 49 and adapted to enter a depression 50 in the rod and hold it against slipping. 1

Since it is desired to position the strip 13 at a different point for every day, the rod 32 is provided with a series of channels 40 spaced at distances corresponding to the day columns 20 upon the work-sheet, there being carried, thus making the structure such that there will always be feed rolls to engage the strip 13 wherever the strip 13 is positioned. Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the im rovements may be used without others. aving thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a typewriting machine for use with work-sheets having columns to receive items and columns to receive balances, in combination, a revoluble platen, a carriage, a holder for a narrow figuring strip, a rod on which said holder is mounted, positioned so that the strip will pass around the platen outside of a worksheet thereon, means to determine the position of the strip holder at points along said rod to correspond with the columns in connection with which said strip is to be used, and feed-rolls extending along the platen to maintain the strip and the work-sheet in operative relation with the platen irrespective of the position of the strip along the platen.

2. In a front-strike typewriting machine, in combination, a revoluble platen, a platen frame, brackets on said frame, a rod in said brackets, a holder for a narrow figuring strip, means for detaining said strip holder at any one of a plurality of positions along the rod, and feed-rolls adapted to hold the strip drawn from said holder upon the outside of a work-sheet passed around the platen at any point along the width of the work-sheet.

3. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen, of a holder for a narrow figuring strip to overlie a work-sheet adjacent a column in which results are to be typed, so that numbers may be entered for computing purposes on said strip without being entered on the worksheet, means to retain the holder at diflerent positions along the platen, and feedrolls extending along the platen so as to hold the strip against the platen in any position therea-long.

4. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and a paper-table to guide to the platen worksheets having columns adapted to receive items and columns adapted to" receive balances, of a device for delivering to the paper-table, between the same and a worksheet carried thereby, a narrow figuring strip on which may be written numbers used in computing without writing on the worksheet, releasable feed-rolls to maintain the figuring strip against the work-sheet wherever positioned transversely thereof, and means for holding said device in different positions along said paper-table, so that the figuring strip when drawn therefrom may be properly positioned with reference to columns on the work-sheet.

5. In a front-strike ty-pewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and a frame in which the same is journaled, of brackets on said frame, a rod in said brackets, a holder for a narrow figuring strip positioned to deliver the same on the outside of a work-sheet on the platen, a detent adapted to seatitself in any of a plurality of annular channels in said rod for detalning said strip holder at any one of a plurality of positions, and to permit the strip to be unwound against some friction, means for detachably holding the rod in its brackets, and feed-rolls extending along the platen so as to hold said strip against the work-sheet on the platen, irrespective of the position of the strip transversely of the work-sheet, to enable computations to be effected by writing numbers on the figuring strip and a writing of the results in an adjacent column of the work-sheet.

JESSE A. B. SMITH. Witnesses: EDITH B. LIBBEY,

CATHERINE A. NEWELL. 

